Make staying hydrated a high priority: Drink water!

The work that many Tampa Electric, Peoples Gas and New Mexico Gas Co. team members do to serve our customers with 99.9 percent reliability, from climbing power poles to installing natural gas equipment, inspecting meters and much more, involves many hours in the sun. And with safety as our top priority at TECO, we insist that every company team member – working outdoors and indoors alike – stay hydrated with water. It’s good guidance for everyone, in fact.

Just as 2 + 2 = 4, H + 2 + O is the equation for keeping your cool when the temperature goes up. Another number is a grim reminder of failing to do so: the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that an estimated 7,415 people died from heat-related deaths from 1999 to 2010.

To help you stay hydrated, here’s some guidance from the American Heart Association. In addition, consider these tips:

• Remember – especially if you’re engaged in strenuous activity – if you feel thirsty, you may already be dehydrated.
• To avoid this, when the temperature outside exceeds 95 degrees, we recommend drinking 24 – 32 ounces of water an hour. Yes, an hour!
• For every 20 minutes of exercise, drink up to 10 ounces of fluid – ideally water.
• With your water, eat fruits like bananas and dates, which have high levels of the electrolyte potassium.
• If you start to feel light-headed, take a break and yes, drink some water!
• As the CDC recommends, choose water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages. This can also help with weight management. Substituting water for one 20-ounce sugar sweetened soda will save you about 240 calories.

The hot weather isn’t going anywhere – but you have places to go and things to do. We do too as we work hard to serve the community. We love water for many reasons, and we embrace staying safe most of all. This spring, summer and all year long, join us in being mindful of staying hydrated: grab a nice glass of water and drink up!

Here are some general hydration guidelines to follow when you’re active outside: